Michael Sandel

'I think that the Arab world is better off, the world as a whole is better off as a result of the Arab spring.'

Around the world, young people in particular mobilise, but what exactly do they want? From Tunis to Bahrain to Wall Street, they know how to use social media to come together, but beyond all that, some say there are no coherent ideas. But there is a deep-seated unsatisfied yearning to speak plainly and freely about the basic issues: What is freedom? What is right? And what is wrong?

Talk to Al Jazeera meets Michael Sandel, a teacher and professor of political philosophy at Harvard University whose online and personal lectures about justice have turned him into an international phenomenon. He attempts to encourage people to think critically, to reflect seriously on moral and political convictions.

He speaks to Al Jazeera's Tony Harris about the meaning of justice, critical thinking and conceptions of justice in different societies. Sandel discusses the Wall Street protests, the meaning of the Arab spring, the widening wealth gap and the impact of 9/11.

"The Arab spring is one of the most important political developments of our lifetimes. I think we will look back decades from now and see it as such. We don't know how these revolutions will play out, one country to the next, but what we do know is that this is a historical moment... I think it should be an inspiration to those of us in established democracies to try to embody more fully the ideals of dignity and justice and above all of citizenship... The future is unpredictable, but I think that what will be remembered historically, whatever false starts there may be - and there may be many false starts - I think that the Arab world is better off, and the world as a whole is better off as a result of the Arab spring." Michael Sandel

This episode of Talk to Al Jazeera can be seen from Saturday, October 15, at the following times GMT: Saturday: 0430; Sunday: 0830, 1930; Monday: 1430.

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